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Nathan Fletcher will always have to explain his past political shifts

San Diego Union-Tribune (CA)

Oct. 01--After he was lampooned by county Republicans for changing parties during his career in politics, county supervisor candidate Nathan Fletcher has given his retort as the two began engaging on what was expected to be an issue in next year's election.

Fletcher has faced this type criticism before -- when he shifted from Republican to independent while he was running for mayor in 2012. Two years later, running for mayor again as a Democrat, his liberal bonafides were under a microscope, and the county Democratic Party, like the Republicans earlier, endorsed another candidate. Fletcher didn't make it past the primary in either of those races

People change with their life experiences, Fletcher said. He grew up in southern Arkansas, went to California Baptist University, and served in the Marine Corps. He became a father, he saw battle buddies struggle with post-traumatic stress and alcohol abuse when they came home from war, and he picketed with janitors during a strike for better wages.

"All of those are a part of life and I think that people understand that," he said. "I'm proud of that, that shows progress, and it shows your listening and you're learning and growing."

A few weeks ago, the county Republican Party launched www.iHeartNathan.com, a website that highlights conservative positions Fletcher took when he served in the Assembly as a Republican. Using a impeccably-coiffed, hand mirror-carrying cartoon rendition of Fletcher, it portrays him as a political opportunist who will change positions and parties for votes.

"Before Nathan Fletcher became a rising star in the Democratic Party, he was a rising star in the Republican Party and an establishment favorite," the GOP's website says.

Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 in the central San Diego supervisorial district, and party affiliation could be an issue in an primary where four Democrats and two Republicans are scrambling to finish in the top two and compete in the general election. The county Democratic Party has endorsed Fletcher with over 90 percent of the central committee members voting to back his campaign. The seat officially is nonpartisan, but elections often follow party lines.

The iHeartNathan website was registered by Jason Roe, a consultant who works with Republican candidates, including one of Fletcher's opponents, former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. Roe also once employed Fletcher to work on various campaigns, and has worked for candidates running against Fletcher in two earlier races.

"It seems to be a pretty good compilation of the ideological pretzel Nathan has tied himself in pursuit of getting elected no matter what the cost. With Nathan, what you see is never what you get," Roe said. He said Fletcher moved to the left during his last year in the Assembly when he started the groundwork for his run for mayor in a city where Democrats have a major voter registration advantage.

Tony Krvaric, the chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County, did not return requests for comment for this story.

The website chronicles Fletcher's political career, and includes conservative positions he took between 2008 and 2012 when he served in the Assembly and his first bid for mayor in 2012. He started that race as a Republican but ended as an independent after the GOP passed him over for an endorsement that went to then-City Councilman Carl DeMaio. He became a Democrat in 2014, got involved in party politics, and last year he attended that party's national convention as a delegate for Hillary Clinton.

The website highlights votes against a Harvey Milk holiday and low scores on report cards from abortion rights organizations. It contrasts that with positions he now has that are common on Democratic platforms.

"And now Nathan is back...his star rising again with the help of a pliant Democratic Establishment who is passing over a Latina and two African Americans who have been loyal Democrats their entire lives," the website said.

It includes a gallery of photos of Fletcher with prominent, out-of-state Republicans, including some who have since joined President Donald Trump's administration. It also makes some false claims, including one that Fletcher was once the executive director of the state Republican Party.

Days after the GOP's website appeared, Fletcher put up his own website a response that portrays him a progressive and independent Republican when he was in Sacramento with a voting record that "reflected his growth."

It holds attacks from conservatives as commendations, and highlights times where he ditched his own party and sided with Democrats to the annoyance of Republicans. The iHeartNathan Facebook page was flooded with comments from Democrats who extolled their support for Fletcher.

He was the first Republican in Sacramento to come out against Don't Ask, Don't Tell, a policy that prevented gay people from serving openly in the military, and was ranked the most liberal member of the GOP in the Assembly by the Republican Liberty Caucus. He also voted with Democrats on a bill that prevented so-called "robosigning" of home foreclosure paperwork.

"From the beginning he was criticized by the GOP as being too progressive on nearly every Democratic core value: Equal Rights, Environmental Protection, Choice, Labor and Workers," Fletcher's website, http://www.nathanfletcher.com/Democrat, says.

Jessica Hayes, the head of the county Democrats, said Fletcher isn't trying to hide his time in Republican politics.

"People are allowed to mature, we grow up. We're supposed to grow up, it's normal," she said. "He has never once denied his past, he has not denied his progress."

And he has been consistent as a Democrat, and has held onto progressive stances he took when he was still a Republican, Hayes said.

"Even when he was an assemblyman, he wrote bills for homeless youth, a homeowners bill of rights, veterans," she said.

Fletcher said that his political allegiances have been scrutinized before, both when he was a Republican who was attacked from inside as too liberal, as well as later from Democrats who questioned his sincerity. He said he has since changed, and years after leaving the Republican Party, his stance should be clear, particularly with endorsements from Democrats with unquestionable bonafides.

"In religion, it's widely accepted that converts have the strongest faith. And that is certainly true of those who change parties," Fletcher said.

While he is trying to shore up support from progressives in a Democrat-heavy district, his ability to satisfy party insiders has cost him before. In 2012 when he was a Republican running for mayor he sought backing from the county GOP. Days before the party was to vote on which candidate to support, Fletcher orl DeMaio, one of DeMaio's supporters anonymously mailed members of the party's central committee members a 14-page dossier that questioned Fletcher's conservative credentials. One of the documents was an F grade from the California Republican Assembly report card.

Five years ago, like he did last week, Fletcher had to defend himself, but that time, that he had to take a different tack and argue that he was, in fact, really a Republican.